Improvement in apparatus for opening- boxes



c. M. OHARA, orv

NVV YORK, N, Y.

Letters Patent No. 93,335, dated August 3, 1869; vantedctecl July 30,1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR OPENING- BOXES.

`The Schedule referred to -:in these Letters Patent and making part ofthe same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, C. M. OHARA,of the city,county, and State of New York, have invented a new and improvedApparatus for Opening Packing-Cases; and l do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear,-and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to make and use the same,

whereby the coverotl the case may be readily sepa' rated ii'oni the body'of the same, without splitting .the cover or marring the edges of thecase.

It consists, in general terms, of .a fulcrum-horse having standardsadjustable to cases of different widths, the standards being providedwith feet, to

insert between the cover and the edges of the case,-

so as to bring the fulcrum-beam across and above the cover.

It further consists of a hand-lever, provided with devices formaintaining its Yposition on ythe crossbeam of the fulcrum-horse, andalso with several hook-devices, which are connected with one end of thelever by any suitable connection, and which catch under the adjacent endof the cover. When thus arranged, the

long arm of the hand-lever being pressed down, the cover ofthe case israised, and separated from the body vof the same, in any easy and simplemanner, and without injury to either.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the drawings,where my invention is shown in the position occupied in practicaloperation.'

A is a box or case, and B the cover or lid' of the same.

The method heretofore employed, to open such cases, was lto pry thecover otf by means of chisels and other analogous implements.

This method, however, occasioned the splitting 'of the cover and thedefacement of the box, and was, besides, a tedious and slow operation.

My apparatus for this purpose consists in the combination of thehand-lever K, having several hooks H arranged on a horizontal bar, G',forming part of'any suitable device for connecting the said hookswit-h'theN short arm of the hand-lever.' Y

The device, in this instance, is the triangular link G G G, which bearsthe several hooks H upon vits lower and horizontal part G', so as torender the hooks susceptible of arrangement along the end of the coverB, and insertion under the same, as shown.

The standards or legs of the fulcruIn-horse are preferably composed oftwo pairs of metal legs, D, each pair of legs diverging from a cap orplate, Land their lower ends being provided with wedge-shaped feet E,which are inserted under the cover and at the sides thereof, as shown,thus affording a point of attachment and support to sustain the strainbrought upon the cross-beam- L,4 which affords a fulcrum for thehand-lever, as shown.

This 'lever is`provided with a notched projection, a., or otherequivalent device, for preventing the lever from slipping upon the beamL.

The beam is provided with movable bearings C,

which are preferably metal bands having base-plates e, which rest uponthe plates d of' thelstandards.

Pins b project downward from the plates e, and pass loosely throughholes in the plates d, and serveto keep the bearings C from slipping olffrom the standards, and, at the same time, permit the adjustment of thestandards, to avoid encountering nails, by the feet E, as. it isnotmaterial that one pair of the standards should be slightly in advanceofthe other pair.

A modification of this part of the apparatus is shown in fig.I 2,whichillustrates a means of resting the beam L in bearing-jaws M,corresponding to the bands C.

In this igur'e the pin b, and plates e and d, are also shown; butI'willl note that the pin and the separate plates may be dispensed with,and the jaws M, plates e and al, may form Ione and the same continuouspart,

and be affixed to the standards, and constitute the cap or partconnecting the upper ends of the same, and when a less elaborateapparatus is desired, this would be a preferable mode of constructingthe fulcrum-horse.

When constructed, however, as shown in iig. l, the bands slide on thebeam L, in order'to adjust them to cases of different widths.

The front edges of the feet and hooks are notched or serrated, as shownin gs. 3 and 4, to conduce to their more easy linsertion.

The triangular link may be substituted for any suitable devce which willafford a horizontal part, G', in

which the hooks can slide and be adjusted to cases of Y differentwidths.

Anexample of such a substituted device obtainsin a T-shaped link orplate, the crossed part being below, to afford attachment for the hooks.v

The hand-lever is provided with a stud, j; in which the upper angle ofthe link is caught, as shown.

J is a ferrule'or cap, which serves to strengthen the attachment of thestud f, and also of a chisel or out ting-blade, I, the shank of whichlatter is inserted in the end of the hand-lever, and provides a usefulimplement for cutting the bands of. metal, wood, or rawhide, witl1 whichpacking-eases are usually bound.

In practice, the lever and cross-beam are of wood, and the remainingparts of iron.

lVhen not in use, the apparatus can be packed in small compass.

4 lVhen to be used, the feet of the standards are driven under thecover, as shown, and the beam L placed thereon, with the pins b in theplates d. The hooks H are next driven under the end of the cover,

` 'and the upper part of the link caught on the lever beyond the stud f,as shown, the lever being rested on the bealn L. Amoderate pressure uponthe long arm of the lever brings up the end of theoover, when the lattercan then bc easily removed.

'lhe above speciiication signed by me, this 11th day of November, 1868.

C. M. OHARA.

NVitnesses:

v FRANK BLooKLnY,

E. GREENE CoLLiNs.

stl'ucted, arranged, and operating as herein described. i

